HomeTexasDeWitt CountyNordheim

Nordheim, Texas

Inside Nordheim's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 62% of mapped land, the highest of 3 cities in DeWitt County. A shallow water table limits basements on under 1%.

That clay share is above DeWitt County's 27%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 78141 overlapping the city. Of its 253 homes, 60% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1956.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in DeWitt County

62%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

<1%

high water table: limits basements

0

flood losses since 2016 in 1 overlapping ZIP

60%

of homes built before 1980

Foundation repair in Nordheim

Foundation repair in Nordheim: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 62% of Nordheim's mapped land, more than in 67% of Texas cities.

About 100 of Nordheim's 253 homes are detached houses.

Who designs the repairThe ASCE Texas Section's repair guidelines say a Texas-licensed engineer should evaluate the foundation and design the repair (2022 guidelines)
PricesCost guide ranges compared

Soil under Nordheim city limits

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)61.8%
High water table (limits basements)0.4%
Septic fields very limited80.2%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)5.8%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)61.8%
Mapped soil313 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: expansive clay
Papalote34%n/a
Sarnosa18%n/a
Denhawken16%n/a
Weesatche11%n/a
Elmendorf9%n/a
Wilson4%88%
DeWitt CountyNordheim
Nordheim city limits inside DeWitt County, shaded by the city's expansive clay share.under 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+

How we count

What the numbers mean here

Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.8% by land area here, and 62% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 62% of the mapped land.

Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of DeWitt County is in drought on the latest map, and 62% of Nordheim's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.

USDA rates 80% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.

Drought in DeWitt County

100% of DeWitt County is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. County detail.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026

Flood losses by ZIP code

FEMA flood records since 2016 in the ZIP codes that overlap Nordheim. ZIP areas reach past city limits.

ZIPShare of city landFlood lossesPaid
78141100%0$0

Homes in Nordheim

Housing units253
Median year built1956
Built before 198060%
Built 2000 or later11%
Owner-occupied85%
Median value, owner-occupied$47,500
Single-family detached56%

Nearby cities

PlaceDistanceExpansive clayHigh water table
Runge 7 mi 32% under 1%
Yorktown 8 mi 24% 7%
Kenedy 17 mi 51% under 1%
Karnes City 18 mi 46% under 1%
Goliad 22 mi 29% 4%
Cuero 23 mi 42% 16%
Smiley 24 mi 8% 8%
Falls City 25 mi 35% 0%

Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 5, 2026) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status